Stone Brewing vs Molson Coors

Stone Brewing, an independent small brewery from California, sued MillerCoors (then a subsidiary of the Molson Coors group), arguing that the redesign of the Keystone Light beer overly emphasized the word “STONE”, isolating it on the packaging. According to the lawsuit, this created confusion among consumers and harmed the Stone brand. The case ended before a jury in 2022, which ruled against MillerCoors, recognizing trademark infringement and awarding damages in favor of Stone Brewing. It is one of the most significant victories of a small brand against a multinational giant in the brewing industry.

Type of Confusion: Reverse confusion - the consumer perceives the smaller company's mark as a variant of the larger one due to its prominence
Claimant's Strategy: Response to visual dominance and identity distortion through a redesign by a larger competitor

• Countries: USA
• Year/Period: 2018-2022
• Sector: Food & Beverages - Beer
• Subject of dispute: Use of the word “STONE” on beer packaging
• Winner: Stone Brewing
• Loser: Molson Coors
• Cost to Winner: Unknown (multi-year court proceedings, likely cost ~$1M+ in legal fees)
• Cost to Loser: ~$56 million in damages based on the jury verdict
• Source of Decision: dailyjournal.com